This invention relates to a control apparatus for a user who wishes to have complete control of an electrically controlled device or devices. Instances may range from the desire to prevent a curious young child from interfering with a television or radio program by pressing various buttons on electrically controlled devices to the situation where parents desire to control television signal receiving devices to prevent the receipt of certain programs. In the field of television, for example, there has been a recent proliferation of programs containing scenes, language and violence which many people consider to be objectionable, especially for children and minors. This proliferation, combined with the new expansion of cable and satellite distribution that brings hundreds of channels of varying content to nearly every point on earth, has created a very critical need for users to be able to exercise their discretion to selectively inhibit or block out the viewing and listening of undesirable materials.
There are numerous arrangements of what will be broadly categorized to as xe2x80x9cparental control devicesxe2x80x9d, however, none include the advantageous features of the invention. Thus, some devices have a lock, but when locked, the device is inoperable, i.e. it cannot perform its intended function. As applied to the television example, one using the prior art devices could not watch TV if the television were locked. Other lock-out devices, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,355,415; 4,375,651; 4,510,623 and 4,718,107, block certain channels from being viewed. The user programs those channels to be blocked. The user then enters a multi-digit numerical access code or locks a mechanical key switch thereby preventing alteration of the locked channel list by persons not possessing the key or having knowledge of the access code. To watch a blocked program or reprogram the blocked channel list, the user must first unlock the key switch or enter the correct access code. These require the memorization of an access code. In others, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,575, the device allows discretion based on the content of certain programs. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,576, programs having certain ratings are selectively inhibited. Others such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,983 allow parental control of television use by excluding or including selected programs, channels and or times.
While allowing parental control, the foregoing prior art devices and approaches are somewhat complicated and require the use of features such as program ratings which may not be available on all programs.
The present invention relates to a control apparatus that can selectively enable or disable predefined functions of a user interface to prevent persons without knowledge of or access to the control from altering the state of an electrically controlled device. The control includes a master controller having a user interface that overrides and controls a user interface on the electrically controlled device. The master controller user interface may be on a remote control for an electrically controlled device such as a television whereby the master controller may lock out all or some of the functions of the user interface on the electrically controlled device to preclude the receipt of various channels or programs or other interference with the functions such as on, off, volume, etc. In this way, an adult could prevent a curious pre-school child who may be able to reach and press buttons on a television console or car radio or stereo receiver, from interfering with what the adult is, watching or listening to.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple master control unit that is capable of overriding and enabling or disabling a user interface on electrically controlled devices whereby users of the interface electrically controlled device may not alter the operation or function of that device which has been disabled by the master control unit. For example, the master control unit may be a wireless remote control for a television receiver. Each of the master unit and the electrically controlled device will have a user interface. However, the user interface on the electrically controlled device may be overridden in whole or in part by the user interface on the master control unit in response to signals sent by the master unit. In this way, an adult could prevent a curious child who may be able to reach and press buttons on the television console from interfering with what the adult is watching or listening to. This overcomes one of the problems of the prior art where the locks either totally disabled the television set or had to be made directly on the user interface of the television console or, if made on the remote, also blocked out the remote. By contrast, with this invention, the parent with the master remote may still retain full access to the television receiver while the user of the user interface on the television console or a slave remote control will be barred from accessing the locked functions or features.
This allows persons with knowledge of an access to the master control to prevent persons without knowledge of or access to the master control from altering the state of the device. The master control may include a suitable security means for precluding unauthorized persons with access to the master control from changing the features without authorization.